University Archives News

Object Lesson: I Fall to Pieces

A monthly feature highlighting the artifact collection of the University Archives.

“Nothing is built on stone; all is built on sand, but we must build as if the sand were stone”
-Jorge Luis Borges

"If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall
Or the mountains should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry, no I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me."
-Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller

Even the grandest of towers surrounding us on campus will one day crumble into dust—and some sooner than others. Down in University Archives we have a few reminders of this material transience: pieces of buildings which are no more. The pieces have a mix of reliable provenance linking them to their former structures, coupled with stories retold over several generations of archivists. We try to establish historical proof when possible, but we are also in the business of storytelling down in the basement of Deering Library.

One architectural relic for which we have some reliable intelligence is a terra cotta capital from Memorial Hall. It seems to be from one of tower's many columns, but it is difficult to pinpoint its original location from the photographs we have. This item came to the Archives from Russell Maylone, former Curator of Special Collections, and was picked up by him out of construction debris when he first came to Northwestern in 1970. The Queen Ann-style building was constructed in 1866 by the Garrett Biblical Institute and housed the seminary until 1923, when Northwestern acquired the building and made it the home to the Evanston Commerce School. In 1970 the "little red schoolhouse," as it was known, was razed to make room for the Nathanial Leverone Hall, which houses the School of Business today.

The second object in question is a piece of Old College, which was Northwestern's original building. Constructed in 1855 at what is now the intersection of Hinman and Davis Streets in downtown Evanston, Old College was moved onto campus in 1871 (where Fisk Hall now stands) to serve as the home for Northwestern's Preparatory School, a secondary school operated by the University from 1855 to 1917. Old College was moved for a second time in 1899, to make room for the construction of Fisk, designed and built as a grander home to the University's high school. Old College served various purposes through the years, including a weather observatory and naval training center, and was finally demolished in 1973 when an inspection after a lightning strike revealed extensive dry rot. The building had never been intended to be a permanent structure, so surviving for 118 years was not a bad run. Read more about the history of Old College on the University Archive's Northwestern Architecture page entry.

This stone, which now continues to serve the University as a historical doorstop, was presented as a welcoming gift to University Archivist Emeritus Patrick Quinn when he began work in 1974. He was told it was a piece of the Old College foundation, and he told that to current University Archivist Kevin Leonard, and Kevin told it to me. Yes, Old College was moved several times, so pieces of its stone foundation could be of various ages, but I prefer to believe it is original to the 1855 work. And anyway, I doubt anyone can prove otherwise.

Even the most imposing and well-heeled buildings on campus will eventually come tumbling down, but the University is not in the business of producing physical landmarks. The important thing is not "building" as noun, but "building" as a verb. If each generation continues to instill intellectual and moral structure into the succeeding generation, Northwestern's true edifice will continue to stand.

Jason Nargis, Manuscript Librarian